Osman Diaz Claims Vacant Middleweight Title at LFA 127

OZZY DIAZ IS THE NEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!#LFA127 pic.twitter.com/2UbTecahUl

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 26, 2022

The Legacy Fighting Alliance crowned a new middleweight champion in the main event of LFA 127.

Competing for the vacant title in a classic striker versus grappler match were the hard-hitting Osman Diaz and Brazilian submission specialist Bruno Assis. The striking difference was demonstrated early with Diaz (7-1) flooring Assis (12-6) and then wisely not following him to the floor. A second knockdown would come late in the round with another flurry of punches ending the fight right before the round came to an end. Diaz officially claimed the championship at 4:53 of Round 1.

Featherweights Chase Gibson and Javier Garcia both had great moments in the back-and-forth co-main event. The first round would see each fighter gain back control and threaten with chokes, but it was Gibson (11-5) that ended the frame on top. Round 2 and 3 would be more of the same with both mixed martial artists taking control on the ground at different points, but Garcia (8-5) being slightly outworked. After three rounds of action, Gibson took home a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in his favor.

Jose Cleiton de Melo Jr. made a memorable LFA debut. Melo Jr. (11-5) showed off his diverse striking game throughout the opening minutes and then floored Tommy Aaron with a left hook. Several hammerfists later left Aaron (9-7) completely limp. The stoppage came at 1:37 of Round 1.

A 130-pound catchweight fight next between Karlee Pangilinan and Wascar Cruz featured plenty of action but didn't last long. Both fighters came out swinging with Pangilinan (6-2) hurting Cruz (12-9) several times with punches and a flying knee. However, Cruz would land a crucial takedown that led to a rear-naked choke. The tap came at 2:25 of Round 1.

A contest between bantamweight prospects Josh Wang Kim and Arnold Jimenez ended with plenty of drama. The bout started with enjoyable back-and-forth grappling exchanges that saw Kim (4-1) lock in an armbar that Jimenez (8-2) countered with two slams. The bout ended just 55 seconds into Round 3 after Kim landed several illegal elbows that landed on the back of the head of Jimenez. Referee Frank Trigg would disqualify the formerly undefeated fighter, but only after Jimenez popped up off the ground and tried to run toward his opponent, having to be restrained by the UFC veteran.

Wrong ref for that one.#LFA127 pic.twitter.com/xssvb7yWFF

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 26, 2022

The LFA 127 main card kicked off with a women's strawweight bout between Jasmine Pouncy and Giovanna Canuto. After securing a quick takedown, Canuto (3-0) secured a rear-naked choke to stay undefeated. Pouncy (1-1) tapped at the 2:28 mark.

In preliminary action, Whittany Pyles (3-4) took a unanimous decision over Lisa Mauldin (4-3); Luis Kenneth Schwenke (2-0) picked up a TKO win over Diego Vazquez (0-1) after just 2:55 of action; Riley Wiseman (2-0) secured a second-round rear-naked choke on Bryen Dao (0-1) at the 1:36 mark; and Elijah Leggett (1-0) won a unanimous decision over Chris Hernandez (1-1).